In Sydney 1968 everything changes when Rachel Margol finds out her name is Rachel Margolin. Everything changes when Rachel finds out she is Jewish. Her fiance and his family are devoutly Greek Orthodox, and when they find out, the wedding is immediately put on hold.
Rachel’s father and grandmother had hidden her heritage from her, attempting to protect her from racism, discrimination and anti-Semitism. However, once Rachel’s beloved grandmother, Felka, finds out about the wedding, she defies Rachel’s father and tells her the truth. Rachel is devastated, mourning the loss of her culture and identity, struggling to understand why such deception was necessary.
Ultimately it drives a wedge between father and daughter. Felka is dying from cancer and wants to take a trip to Japan to meet the man who saved her and her family from the Nazis. Chiune Sugihara, a Japanese diplomat, defied his own government and issued visas to thousands of Jews, enabling them to escape Lithuania to Japan.
Rachel, still struggling with the truth, decides to travel with her grandmother to Japan. There she learns of the horrors of the Holocaust and begins to understand the plight and struggle of the Jews and her grandmother’s generation. But she also learns about Judaism and family.
This is a novel about racism and persecution, and the enormous differences and lack of tolerance between religions and cultures. It is also, about relationships between family members, especially father and daughter. And it’s about misplaced guilt, forgiveness, and ultimately, healing.
The Star on the Grave is a wonderful debut novel based on the author’s own family and their escape. I hope that many people read this and learn of Sugihara’s heroic deed.
Reviewed by Neale Lucas
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